Improved rudder



00,60 ooooo nooo 550000 N PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D. C

MAXIMILIAN VVAPPICH', OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPRovi-:D RUDDER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,296, dated October30, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, MAXIMILIAN WArrIcI-I, of Sacramento city, in thecounty vof Sacramento and State of California, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Rudders for Steering Ships and other Vessels;

and I do hereby declare the followingto be a clear, full, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this specification, and in which- Figure l represents 'aside elevation of a balance-rudder constructed on my improved. plan;Fig. 2, a horizontal section of the same 5 Fig. 3, a side elevation of amodied rudder embracing my invention; Fig. 4, a top view of the same.;Fig. 5, a side elevation of a rudder made of round bars or tubes; Fig.6, a section of the same; Fig. 7 a section ofa rudder made ofstraight-sided beams or bars on my improved plan.

My invention consists in providing the body of the rudder-blade withlateral slits or openings to allow a partial efdux of the water throughthese openings, so as to 'prevent too much backing of the water, and tocause the comparative vacuum on the aft side ot' the rudder to till withincreased rapidity, whereby the pressure ot' the water on the forwardand aft sides of the rudder-blade becomes more evenly balanced, so thatthe strain on the piutles is lessened, and the turning and handling` ofthe rudder in. steering a vessel greatly facilitated.

My invention further consists in forming a rudder of tubes or roundedbars, framed and braced together by top and bottom braces. Thus I obtaina most efficient rudder ot a coinpact, stron g, and durableconstruction, and which presents an effective'resisting-surface to thecourse ofthe vessel, equal to that ofcommon rudders of a much largersize and weight; and, lastly, my invention consists in 'providing thestep and shoe and the piutles and braces of a rudder with concentricgrooves and rings to obtain an increased lateral bearing-surface, inorder to diminish in a measure the abradin g of the bearingsurface ofthe step and piutles.

Toenalole others skilled in the art to make, construct, and use myinvention, I will now proceed to describe it in detail.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. l represents a metallicbalance-mulder. A is the rudder-stem,and B the rudder-blade. a are slotsthrough the rudder-blade; g d is the rudderhead journal, and e theimproved step of the rudder. y

In Figs. 5 and 6 the rudder is constructed of tubes x, or rounded barsy, which may be arranged either close together or a small space leftopen between them, as shown at a, to allow a ypartial efiux ot the watertherethrough. The tubes or rounded bars are to be properly braced andsecured in a frame, D.

A rudder constructed on this plan combines the advantages of lightness,strength, and durability, while at the same time its steering efticiencyis much superior not only over smoothsurface rudders, but also overcorrugated rudders, as the tubes or round bars present much more efcientangles to the course of the vessel,and the curved surfaces insure also amore smooth and even action on the rudder being sharply and brisklyturned in steering.

The tubes :v and rounded bars y,when so arranged as to leave narrowopenings between them, are not exposed to the backing of the wateras apartial efflux is allowed through such openings. Aside of this, thearrangement ot' the slits or openings a presents the further advantage,that the comparative vacuum on the aft side ofthe rudder-blade insteering is lled up with increased rapidity, and as thereby the pressureot' the water on the forward and aft sides of the rudder-blade is moreequally balanced,the step and piutles are considerably relieved ofstraining, and the turning and handling of the rudder are greatlyfacilitated. made ot' any suitable shape, their number and arrangementdepending ofthe size, forni, and construction of the blade of therudder. Figs. 1,2, 5, 6, and 7 illustrate how this improvement ofproviding the rudder-blade with slots or openings may be successfullyapplied to various kinds otl rudders.

In Fig. l the head of the rudder is provided with a series of grooves,`(/,and a series of rings, cl, one above the other, by means of whichthe rudder' is securely mounted in a journab box having a series ofcorresponding rings and grooves, and which journal-box is to be securedto the deck of the vessel in any suitable manner. Thus a very simple andstrong mountin gof the rudder-head is obtained, which pivots These slitsor openings a may be the rudder truly and steadily supports its weight.

In practice it has been found a very objectionable feature of allrudders having their main support in the step, the rapid abrading of thestep and shoe. This might be obviated by increasing the bearing-surfaceof the stem 5 but such an increase of surface would render the turning`of the rudder very unwieldy. In order that the rudder should turnreadily, its stem, which rests on the shoe, ought not to present a toolarge bearing-surface. In my rudder the step is provided with a circulargroove, c, on its bottom surface, for the reception ot a pin-likeprojection, rl, formed for this purpose in the center of the box r2 ofthe shoe r. Instead of havin g but one concentric groove in the bottomot' the step, a series of circular grooves may be formed, which are madeto tit in corresponding projections in the box ofthe shoe. I also applythis improvement to the pintles, as shown in Fig. 3. The pintle s has acircular groove, s,turned out at its lower end, which is made to fit ina corresponding pin, t, formed for its reception in the box of the bracet. The ring s2 of the pintle tits into the vgroove t2 of the brace; andt3 represents the outer ring, l

which surrounds the groove t?.

In order to be fully and clearly understood, I would state that the gistof the last-described improvement consists in` providing the step andshoe and the pintles and braces with cor responding circular grooves andrings to increase the lateral bearing-surface.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Providing the rudder-blade with slots forming openings through theentire body ot' the rudder, in such a manner as to allow apartial eftiuxthrough said openings, and thereby prevent the backing of the water, atthe same time that the comparative vacuum on the aft side of therudder-blade in steering is being filled with increased rn1 idity,i`orthe purpose of more evenly balancing the pressure oi' the water on theforward and at't sides ot' the rud der, so as to reduce the strain onthe pintles and facilitate the turning and handling ofthe rudder insteering a vessel.

2. Constructing a rudder of tubes or rounded bars, firmly braced andframed, substantially as specied, for the purpose of obtaining with asmall rudder-blade a great effective steering action, and with areduction ot' weight of material an increased strength of rudder.

3. Providing the rudder-step and shoe and the pint-les and braces, ortheir equivalents, with concentric grooves and rings, substan tially asand for the purpose set forth.

MAXIMILIAN WVAPPICII.

Witnesses J onN S. IIoLLiNGsHn/in, A. PoHLEns.

